Login

RAP question

Hello everyone. I am having trouble with the RAP. Can anyone tell me if any of these conveyances violate the RAP?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Do any of these conveyances violate the Rule Against Perpetuities?

1) O conveys to A for life, then to A’s children for life, then to A’s grandchildren for life. 2) O conveys to A for life, then to A’s widow, if any, for life, then to A’s issue then living. 3) O conveys to A for life, then to A’s widow for life, then to A’s children. 4) By will, o devises Blackacre to O’s widow for life, then to O’s children who are then alive. 5) O conveys Whiteacre to A for life, then to A’s first child if he survives A by 21 years. A has no children.

1) O conveys to A for life, then to A’s children for life, then to A’s grandchildren for life.

Yes, after the conveyance A could have child X, A dies, A's children take their interests, 22 years pass, X has a child, all of A's children die

X's interest did not vest within 21 years

The conveyance becomes O to A for life, then to A's children for lifeO holds a reversion in FSA

Changing the conveyance to ...then to A's grandchildren living at the time of A's death or tying it to the lives of A's children already born would solve this problem.

2) O conveys to A for life, then to A’s widow, if any, for life, then to A’s issue then living.

No.If A leaves a widow, her interest immediately vests and her life is the measuring life for the subsequent remainder interestsA's issue then living, to me, means those living at the time A's widow dies, which will vest upon her deathIf A leaves no widow, the interests of A's issues then living vest immediately

3) O conveys to A for life, then to A’s widow for life, then to A’s children.

No. A's life is the measuring life for either the widow's interest of A's children (the class can not have new members after A's death)

4) By will, o devises Blackacre to O’s widow for life, then to O’s children who are then alive.

No. If O has a widow, hers will be the measuring life for the class of "O's children who are then alive"If O has no widow, then the interests of O's children alive at O's death immediately (the class can not have new members after O's death)

5) O conveys Whiteacre to A for life, then to A’s first child if he survives A by 21 years. A has no children.

No. A is the measuring life and A's first child's interest will vest or fail within 21 years of A's death.

I thinks this violates the rule because the contingent remainder to A’s issue- (i.e., A’s issue that are alive at the time of the widow’s death) might vest in A’s issue more than 21 years after any life in being at the time of the creation of the interest. This is because the widow may have been born after the interest was created. The contingent interest in A’s children is contingent on them being alive when the widow dies which may be more than 21 years after the death of any life in being at the creation of the interest.

I thinks this violates the rule because the contingent remainder to A’s issue- (i.e., A’s issue that are alive at the time of the widow’s death) might vest in A’s issue more than 21 years after any life in being at the time of the creation of the interest. This is because the widow may have been born after the interest was created. The contingent interest in A’s children is contingent on them being alive when the widow dies which may be more than 21 years after the death of any life in being at the creation of the interest.

I agree with your analysis.

The fact that A could have a child after the conveyance is irrelevant, right?

How would you state the title for # 5? Would it be A has present possesory life estate, o has a reversion, and A's first child has a future contigent interest subject to a condition precedent?

I think it's somewhat professor dependent, but we were told:A has a life estate, O has a reversion in fee simple subject to executory limitation and A's first child to survive A by 21 years has a springing executory interest in fee simple

5) O conveys Whiteacre to A for life, then to A’s first child if he survives A by 21 years. A has no children.

How would you state the title for # 5? Would it be A has present possesory life estate, o has a reversion, and A's first child has a future contigent interest subject to a condition precedent?

A has a life estate in FSAA's first child has a contingent remainder in FSA (contingent because of a condition precedent and possibly an ascertainability problem)O has a reversion subject to springing executory limitation/interest

A's first child doesn't get the land until 21 years after A's death, so O will hold it for 21 years after A's death

No, I don't think A child has a contigent remainder. I think he has a springing executory interest (not a remainder, since it is separated from the life estate by a "built-in time gap.") Since the child's interest will not vest upon the natural termination of the preceding life estate, it cannot be classified as a remainder.